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Electronics Test

Developing TestStand code on a production machine can lead to unexpected consequences. This describes one way to ensure that production data in the EFT database is not lost as a result of such unintended consequences.

EFT version 2.2 is coming soon with loads of new features to further increase productivity and reduce test development time. While there are dozens of new features and improvements to the EFT Module for TestStand, let’s take a look at five of the most exciting updates.

When developing automated tests for a product, we as test engineers typically focus on what we see as the two most important tasks: ensuring the test works properly, and ensuring appropriate results are collected. Because of this, the person who spends the most time on the system, the test operator, can often be forgotten.

A universal test system software architecture

Are you developing test sequences using NI TestStand? If so, beware that a lot more goes into a full test architecture than test sequences. In our experiences, test developers often focus solely on the test sequences and code modules, leaving items like file management, hardware abstraction, operator interfaces, and result processing all but forgotten until you run into a problem. Unfortunately, these items often take longer to develop, and require more in-depth TestStand knowledge than the test sequences themselves.

The Material Review Board (MRB) usually consists of a meeting of personnel from Quality, Materials, Purchasing and Manufacturing engineering. The purpose of an MRB is to review rejected material for disposition. Disposition decisions are often made based on schedule requirements, material cost, availability of alternatives, or analysis of the defect. The MRB material of interest is Printed Circuit Board Assemblies (PCBAs).

Bloomy supported the automated test community with informative presentations and practical exhibits at NIDays North America conferences late in 2014. Turnkey Systems Manager Grant Gothing presented “Plan for Success with Automated Test” to standing-room-only crowds who learned best practices for creating test requirements, specifying instrumentation, defining interconnects, and selecting the right software architecture.

As manufacturing processes improve and circuitry has moved from discrete components to highly-integrated programmable components, effective test strategies must now place more emphasis on functional test rather than in-circuit test (ICT).

In-circuit test performs a “schematic verification” by testing individual components of a printed circuit board (PCBA) one at a time by comparison against a software model of some parameters of the component. It is not done “at speed” and does not verify interoperability but is very effective at finding manufacturing defects.

Bloomy had a strong presence at NIWeek 2014, with the biggest Alliance Partner booth that included an engaging bicycle generator that hundreds tested their stamina on, as well as many presentations by Bloomy staff in various conference tracks.